Parents of the HS Class of 2011 - Original

<p>RM…that was truly touching!! It brought me to tears! You have raised a fine young man. He will thrive wherever he goes to college!</p>

<p>RM…what a sweet young man…you have so much to be proud of!</p>

<p>blueiguana and RM – Thanks for sharing your meltdown stories. I myself had more of them than I care to count. </p>

<p>Mnmomof2 – We, too, are waiting for tomorrow’s decision from a reach for everyone school. Best of luck to your D!</p>

<p>BI and RM: you are both very blessed. Your sons sound like great examples for all of us. I think these kids have probably learned a lot by modeling after their parents, so give yourselves credit too. </p>

<p>AmandaK: congrats to your S and D. That sounds really exciting.</p>

<p>To everyone waiting for news tomorrow: good luck…we’re all crossing our fingers for you.</p>

<p>Good Luck to all those waiting (with us) for 12/15 and 12/16 decisions.</p>

<p>The meltdown this week was on my D’s part, but I tried to be the “adult” and keep my mouth shut. I don’t see her even realizing that anyone else feels any kind of stress or anxiety about the application and college process, but I also don’t feel that that’s abnormal. For a while her screen name was “it’s all about me…”
Kind of kidding, because she is the absolute best big sister, and that will be the biggest change in the family, not having the girls together. They are 7 1/2 years apart and are so close. People are always pulling me aside and commenting on her behavior with her sister. It’s definitely helped her bring in babysitting customers!<br>
We’ve been trying to let her have more responsibility, she’s had her own credit card (it’s mine & hers) with a $500 limit, but she’s in charge of going online and paying the bill out of her bank account. She is in charge of garbage duty because she’s the one driving the SUV, so going to the dump is a weekly ritual with the girls - she pays the little one $2 to help. I also have her help me with meal planning and shopping and give her text message shopping lists to help with dinners.<br>
But I was thinking how different this is than when I went to college. The weekly phone calls - which costs a huge amount back then - were not enough to combat my homesickness! Now the problem is too much access, I think. We can see them right on the screen every day if we wanted, but that’s not good either! I can see that my D will talk & text with her sister much more than my husband & I - there are already plans for the little one to get a phone next year just for this purpose.
But right now her stress level has dropped, yet she came home and immediately ran to the mail pile, eager to see if there were any more results. She told me that her boyfriend (already graduated) & best friend (not graduating this year) were trying to convince her to stay home and go to school locally. Ha. Not happening.<br>
And I have to say, I’m on my second glass of wine this evening. It’s been a long fall.</p>

<p>RenMom - hugs to you and your son. Sounds like you raised a super guy. I hope the girl-moms benefit from the effort the boy-moms have made to mold such terrific potential partners. Vice-versa of course.</p>

<p>Maybe some of you who know your children or partners are still searching for that perfect gift for you need a hint. Depending on where you are from, it rhymes with bra, baa, ha, pa, ma. Give up…a day at a SPA or a massage for those on a budget. I think all of us could benefit and we certainly need and deserve it and more.</p>

<p>blueiguana and renaissancemom-what wonderful posts to help us keep things in perspective.</p>

<p>blue iguana and ren mom: Thanks for sharing such great stories. Something tells me that our three sons and the three of us could go on vacation together and have the time of our lives, even though we have never met.</p>

<p>I was tearing up as I read your stories. (Stress of no ornaments left on the tree, Christmas cards not yet orders, magazine deadline and that EA announcement on Thursday.) Our son said “mom, usually College Confidential makes you mad.” (Chance me/retake the 2380 SAT anger.) I told him about your posts and he smiled and said “glad you found some soul mates.”</p>

<p>^^^Can I please join the lovefest for our kind, funny, smart and good guy boys? I wonder if this is the upside of the push/pull emotions at this point in senior year? My S, like so many kids here, is being very appreciative of his home and his dear old mom.</p>

<p>Hey, did any of you hear about what’s going on at U Chicago EA? My S has friends at school who are waiting for results. Apparently, UChicago has sent emails multiple times in the past week revising and revising their results date. Started out they were going to notify last week–and now, after 4!! updates, it’s moved off to this coming Friday. Anyone know what’s up with that?</p>

<p>RM, so sorry to hear about your son’s deferral, but how touching for him to be worried about everyone else. Who says girls are the sweet ones?</p>

<p>I had my own meltdown yesterday, but directed towards our older son who can’t find a job. He’s going to Europe for a few months, leaving in January, and his plans are not in place. He’s got a ticket but that’s about it. Just a little toooo laid back. Of course, later that night after I got back from a class I’m taking, this was the son that helped me decorate the tree for an hour.</p>

<p>RMom- oh I am so sorry for your son. How sad to want something so bad and then be deferred. I hope he gets in in April, if he still wants to go. </p>

<p>We are waiting on one college who posted online last week that S would receive an answer within 5 days. It is a safety and one he probably won’t attend if he gets in but why couldn’t they just post the yeah or nay online?</p>

<p>Hi,
I guess this forum is for parents who talk about their sons and daughters, so I might be out of place. I am writing this because I am happy that there are actually parents like you guys who actually care, despite the facts that people said parents are being too involved. I don’t think this is true at all because I think parents should have the right to be worried about their own children. I guess too much of a good thing can be bad. My mother complained every time I asked for money to pay for application. I end up only applying to three schools (didn’t apply to my dream school because there is a high chance i will be rejected and it would be a waste of money). Just to say that I am a teenager who also going through this frustrating process. My family expected me to do well in school yet never bother to understand what is an “A” or an “F” means on the report card. I found myself floundering through high school trying to make everyone happy. Again, I am glad for your sons and daughters that get accepted to their dream schools and very sorry for any rejection. I am still waiting for the result to come home in April (will stay home that day and attack the mailman)</p>

<p>Everyone here are waiting for their decision or already sent out all their apps. But my son, I don’t know what to say, he got the acceptance from his safety school early November, and since then, he finished and sent out his ed2 app, no more, he won’t do anything for other rd apps.
I tried to talk to him, he got angry then went to bed before 10. His grade dropped. All he wants to do is video game.
I’m kind of wondering if he should go to college. With this kind of attitude, I can’t image he will do “well” in college. Maybe a year off is good for him, find a job to support himself maybe will let him learn more than one year play game in dorm.</p>

<p>Ah…RM…what a fine young man! So much grace under pressure in the midst of results of all kinds here.</p>

<p>I really haven’t seen my son for more than a few minutes since his ED admit from Wesleyan. A few days ago I told him I hoped he’d get to decorate the tree with me one more time, as he’ll be away at college next year. He’s been in the midst of finals so that hadn’t happened, until tonight.</p>

<p>I was finishing up the last of the ornaments on the tree when he left his books and came over. We decorated, and got to talk more in depth about how excited he is about going to Wesleyan. We talked for awhile about his interest in theater and how he could approach that along with his interest in science (theater minor? double major?) . I teased him about seeing the course catalog for Wesleyan on the floor in his room already (he had picked it up when we visited last summer). We also did a bit of a post-mortem on his entire application process and his visit colleges trip last summer and Bard and other schools he’ll now be withdrawing applications to. </p>

<p>Then he finished up and went back to studying. It was one of those great moments…</p>

<p>

I just feel like standing and soaking it all in…all these moments. I find I have slowed down a lot, sometimes to a near hault, in protest of this progression. It isn’t working. DH came home the other day late from work looking for scraps from dinner. We finally had to fess up that we’d all had ice cream. My kids have so many memories of sitting at the table staring at green veggies…if I want to declare ice cream for dinner…my house, my rules. My oldest son is a bit miffed that I didn’t become liberated any earlier. My youngest is afraid I’ll revert. Bluejr’s no dummy, he flys just under the radar enjoying the ride.</p>

<p>I hope every family has some alone time planned over the winter break. There are so many demands for our time, places to be, family members to get to, dates being blocked off. I marked off two family only days. No one in, no one out. It really is amazing. PJs, movies, Texas Hold Em, Nurf wars (I have mad skills at this). It is very hard to think about acceptance rates when you are hiding under the stairs with a nurf-strike waiting for DH to pass through the next room. You know this because you are holding a mirror around the corner. I highly recommend this as a family activity.</p>

<p>RenMom, sorry to hear about the deferral. But very glad you’ll be hanging around with us til spring…like EmmyBet and LoP, I’ll be here. We’ll have the college acceptances (or not!) in hand, but not all the Music School/Dept acceptances, and certainly not final word on academic and music scholarships until Feb/Mar.</p>

<p>Good news here: we got the dreaded pre-audition tape recorded! That’s the one you send (to one of her schools) to see if you’ll be invited to audition for the Honors Music Scholarship. They only invite 25 kids, and if you’re selected you go spend an audition weekend on campus, with lots of cool things to do besides your audition.</p>

<p>She’s had these 2 pieces locked and loaded since early fall…in fact she’s auditioned live with them already at another college. But this recording was a pain logistically, especially at this time of year. </p>

<p>Anyway, it turned out beautifully, and I’ll confess I play it around the house A LOT. (Merry Christmas to me!) I hope the judges like it even one-tenth as much as I do. :)</p>

<p>GKM, congrats on Wesleyan! Happy64, sounds like quite a celebration at your house. Hearty congrats!</p>

<p>Blue, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: that’s one heck of a son you’ve raised. Well done!</p>

<p>Amandak, somehow missed your excellent band news (reading too fast). That’s awesome, and you must be very happy and proud. Good for them!</p>

<p>RenMom, when I adopt Blue’s son, I think he’ll want some company, so I’d like to adopt your son, too. What fine young men you both have raised.</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>nice!, LOL. I give the kids nurf guns in their stockings every year. May have to buy 2 extra this year!</p>

<p>MOSB - I hope SB is one of the 25 called back.</p>

<p>Wow-miss a few days and you really get behind! So here is a heartfelt (if generic) congratulations to all the recent acceptances and completions of applications. We are in a lull at our house with the understanding that some things will need to be completed during break. The waiting is the hardest part–especially when you thought 12/15 was a notification date and find out you have several weeks left to go.</p>

<p>Hi all. Lots of good stuff here-and some not so good. I am so sorry for the deferrals but they are still in the hunt-correct? We didn’t do any so I am not sure how that all works.</p>

<p>S did get accepted to two more schools for a total of three. They were all safeties-one a very big financial safety as well-but of course they aren’t were he wants to be.</p>

<p>I kind of hit the roof last night with him. I will gladly today place him up for adoption to go along with the “good sons” on here. :)</p>

<p>Nothing important-I come in after a long tough day and the first thing I get is he didn’t do well on a test and other school related struggles. Of course the reason is 1) We “made him” go on an overnight college visit where he missed two crucial days of class and 2) he had to cram for the Subject Tests and his school work suffered. OK blame the parents mode! I replied that he was the one who schedule said college visit and he was the one who procrastinated on the SAT not me. He is also the one who has joined the latest sports team and has become from all accounts quite the big man on campus with the girls-this after 3+ years of him not being deemed worthy of being in the “in” crowd. I mean I am happy the kid has become so socially accepted but it’s kind of weird.</p>

<p>The thing that really put me over the edge though was the contact lenses. My D has been complaining about hers-but if she would use the re-wetting drops like the Dr. said the last time this happened they would be better. Anyway, S hears this and said "oh by the way I only have one set left! I said to show me-well the box with the last two is nowhere to be found and so he has NONE! His appt isn’t until next month. The reason I am so fried is the same thing happened last year and I made it clear to them I want to know when you are down to the last two months so I don’t have the problem I had last year. I told him to enjoy wearing his glasses this time-what the heck is wrong with him?</p>

<p>End of rant-I know in the grand scheme of things this is trivial nonsense but I am livid. Someone came during the night this week and switched my S with this clone-he is not the same kid.</p>